1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the manipulation and installation of construction panels, and more particularly concerns a tool for smoothing and shaping the edge extremities of drywall panels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
"Drywall" panels employed in the construction of wood frame residential buildings are comprised of a dense central layer of gypsum sandwiched between opposed outer layers of thick paper. In use, the panels, generally available in 4 foot by 8 foot rectangular sizes, are nailed to a the upright 2" by 4" wooden studs of the framework of the building to produce a smooth wall structure, or are nailed to wooden overhead beams to provide a ceiling surface. In order to produce apparently seamless wall and ceiling surfaces, it is necessary to install adjacent panels so that the edges of the panels are in tight-fitting abutment. In the case of a standardized array of wall studs, such tight abutment is easily achieved merely by placing the as-manufactured panels in side-by-side edgewise contact. However, instances arise involving irregular wall or ceiling contours or spacings where specialized cutting and fitting of panels becomes necessary.
The selective trimming of a drywall panel is usually accomplished at the construction site by scoring one surface of the panel in a straight line, then applying shearing force to cause the panel to break along the scored line. However, the edges newly created by the breaking actions are generally of rough contour. In order to smooth the rough edges of the panel, various dressing devices have been employed, including the use of scraping devices and planes of the sort utilized in smoothing wood edges. Whereas the gypsum component of the panel is controllably removed by such tools as a dust, the paper component of the panel accumulates and fouls the tool. It is also to be noted that hand tools such as planes generally provide their shaping effect in just one direction of linear motion.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a device for smoothing the edges of a drywall panel.
It is another object of this invention to provide a device as in the foregoing object which is resistant to fouling by the paper component of said panel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a manually operable device of the aforesaid nature which is manually operable and easy to use and clean.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature of simple, durable construction amenable to low cost manufacture.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.